Monkey Man
Monkey Man

Movie spotlight

Monkey Man

2024
Movie
122 min
English

Kid is an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.

Insights

IMDb7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes89%
Metacritic71/100
Google Users93%
Director: Dev PatelGenres: Action, Thriller, Crime

Plot Summary

In an anaristic India, a young man known as Kid works in an underground fight club while secretly plotting revenge against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systematically victimize the poor and voiceless. As his plan solidifies, he finds himself up against a ghostly legend, the Monkey God Hanuman, who he must embrace to wage his war.

Critical Reception

Monkey Man garnered significant positive attention for its visceral action, Dev Patel's directorial debut and lead performance, and its exploration of themes like revenge and social injustice. While some critics noted the film's brutality, the overall consensus was that it delivered a compelling and intense cinematic experience.

What Reviewers Say

  • Dev Patel's directorial debut is a brutal and exhilarating action-thriller.

  • The film expertly blends high-octane fight sequences with a potent narrative of revenge and social commentary.

  • Praise for the visceral choreography and Patel's compelling performance.

Google audience: Audiences widely praised the film's thrilling action sequences and intense fight choreography, with many highlighting Dev Patel's directorial vision and performance. The movie's powerful themes of revenge and societal critique also resonated strongly with viewers.

Fun Fact

Dev Patel trained extensively in various martial arts, including Krav Maga and Taekwondo, for his role and to perform many of the film's stunts himself.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

10 reviews
CrazyJekyll

CrazyJekyll

Monkey Man might be thematically Incoherent, but it's action is just so insane and grimey that you can't help but enjoy the killer debut. There is clear potential in Dev Patel's direction, he utilizes dynamic and powerful camera work wit...

souls 🖤

souls 🖤

an amazingly impressive directorial debut from Dev Patel that blends inspired action sequences, Hindu folklore and a political message of corrupt government officials, with a very well written and emotional script

Chandler Danier

Chandler Danier

Cool but somewhat sloppy, like the first half of this story doesn't need to happen. I'd have liked to see more of Monkey's journey to the city, or his establishment as kind slum overlord. More adventure than scenes of him getting beat up. H...

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

Louisa Moore - S...

Fans of elevated revenge action films are going to be flat-out dazzled by “Monkey Man,” the directorial debut of Dev Patel (who also co-wrote and stars as the titular character). Many actors are unsuccessful when attempting to make the tran...

TheSceneSnobs

TheSceneSnobs

When I saw the trailer for Monkey Man, I was unsure of what to expect. It seemed like a standard revenge tale with a horror twist. However, what I got was one of my favorite films of the year. Dev Patel shines not only in his acting but als...

cleverashu

cleverashu

There's a recurrent metaphor throughout the film, of Hanuman trying to eat the sun leaping towards it Icarus-like and being stopped by the gods eventually. Maybe Dev Patel was aware of how well this metaphor would encapsulate his brave dire...

cinefetch

cinefetch

This movie is a boring John Wick wannabe (they literally mention John Wick in the movie). The action sucks, the cinematography is nauseating, the story is boring. There's nothing good about this movie. I'm convinced the high reviews are pro...

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

Dev Patel has spoken a lot about him not wanting to be "James Bond" but it looks like those stories have inspired quite a bit of this pretty derivative revenge thriller that actually reminded me a bit of his "Hotel Mumbai" (2018) outing too...

Manuel São Bento

Manuel São Bento

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://talkingfilms.net/monkey-man-review-an-imperfect-yet-compelling-directorial-debut-from-dev-patel/ "Monkey Man shows that Dev Patel still has much to learn when it comes to directing and writing, but his ...

r96sk

r96sk

Slightly too long, but pretty much every other element of <em>'Monkey Man'</em> is more than enough to compensate. I had a very good time watching what is Dev Patel's directorial debut. He himself is outstanding, having portrayed the rol...

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